Seeker book review

Seeker 

by Arwen Elys Dayton (Goodreads Author)

 

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’.

Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.



My Review:
5/10 because I can't tell if I had problems with it because it's not my taste or because these are legitimate issues most people will have with it. I feel "disrupted."

I love dystopian novels and plenty of sci-fi and fantasy. And my standards are admittedly pretty low to be happy- honest characters (i.e. flawed, relatable etc), story line that makes sense, good triumphs. That's pretty much it. Throw in unique, interesting ideas, world building or history and I'm over the moon. However, I have no idea what this book was.

It took me over two months to read this because the beginning was just so slow. The first quarter of the book is about the characters making reference to this Big Secret(the elite club of Seekers). It was as annoying as when people around you keep making references to inside jokes, except in this case you can't walk away.

I was also confused and distracted by the setting. You don't even get concrete numbers until about 30% into the book. I know because it starts in Part 2. One character tells us it's the 15th century. Later she tells us that about 100 years have passed. Yet there are references to WWII. What? And then there seems to be both ancient and futuristic things taking place. It's just not making sense.

SPOILERS
Then we get to the characters themselves. Most of the characters seem confused about their purpose and feelings, so naturally I am too. But also frustrated. John knows about the seekers and doesn't tell Quin. Bad move. Apparently, he doesn't have a conscience. He still wants to be a Seeker because he made a promise as a 7 year old.

And is anyone else fuzzy on what exactly a Seeker does? I heard mention of ancient tales of heroics, no specifics on their purpose. One of the characters who apparently started it all, actually points out the flaw in their vague purpose: their judgment is based on flawed human nature. Seems like too much power for too little gain.

And the romance. Despite my issues with John, Quin seems to jump ship with little reason. But I guess that's love between 15 year old kids. {side note- where did her "powers" come from?!} The romance with her third-half-cousin was made weirder by their constant fixation on their relation, the fact that they seem to have been raised as siblings, and that a romance actually started between them when they were like 9. Hmm.

What was the point of the fireworks? The family in Hong Kong? How did they pull that off, especially if Seekers are somehow bound to answer questions from Seeker to Seeker? Where are all the other Seeker Families and why are they not coming together to fight corrupt members? I have about a million other questions with unsatisfactory/nonexistant answers.

But my biggest issue was actually the pointless violence. This book had too much focus on gruesome body mutilations and torture, particularly those involving children.